Brains-On: Wired.com Rides the Thought-Controlled Prius Bike

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Brains-On: Wired.com Rides the Thought-Controlled Prius Bike

Toyota's answered a question no one ever thought to ask: What if the Prius were a bike?

The answer suggests it wouldn't be as boring to ride as it is to drive. For one thing, the bike uses neurotransmitters to change gears. It looks a whole lot cooler than the car, too.

Now, the first question is "Toyota? Bikes? What?" The Japanese automaker is encouraging inventors and dreamers to tinker with its tech through the Prius Projects campaign. It did something similar with the Toyota For Good campaign that generated ideas for everything from better bike helmets to self-guiding ladders.

Toyota doesn't know the first thing about building bikes, so it called in the guys at Parlee Bicycles, which makes featherlight frames, and Deeplocal, which made the Nike Chalkbot. Together they built the PXP (Prius X Parlee).

I got to take it for a spin. Nothing big, mind you, but enough to get a sense of how the PXP rides. I'm not a racer, just a guy who commutes on a single-speed Bianchi, so this isn't a Bicycle-type review. But I didn't need to throw a leg over the PXP to know it's light years ahead of my ride.

First, the frame. It's gorgeous. The matte white bike has the look and feel of a slick aero-road bike without looking like its from the next century. Still, it didn't look like anything else on the streets of Pittsburgh that day.

The PXP, like the car that inspired it, was designed for optimal aero-efficiency. The designers spent a lot of time in a wind tunnel at MIT to get its shape just right. The bike, with a lightweight interlocking carbon fiber frame, comes in around 16 pounds with all the electronics installed, and it provides a super-comfy ride.

That is where this bike starts to really separate itself from the Schwinn in your garage. The bike is unlike anything else I have ridden. It's a mash-up, part time-trial bike, part road racer and part touring ride. It's a hybrid, which makes sense, given the Prius connection.

Going for a spin requires a little more than hopping on and pedaling away. Since this bike is guided by your brain a little more thought goes into the process, literally.

The team set me up with a neurotransmitter helmet connected to an iPhone 4 mounted on the stem. The neurotransmitters are embedded in the helmet. Sync your brain bucket to your phone and you can switch gears simply by thinking about it.

Shifting couldn't be easier. Think, "shift up" and it does in a blink of an eye. It's faster and smoother than anything else I've ridden. It can be tricky, because you've got to keep your head clear – the neurotransmitters work off your brain activity, so if your mind is bombarded with grocery lists or thoughts chasing down that guy who blew by you, shifting could be tricky. This is where the bodhisattva training pays off.

If shifting with your brain isn't your thing, don't worry. The iPhone will choose gears according to your desired cadence and heart rate. You also can do the shifting yourself simply by touching the screen.

This isn't the best bike for any one thing, but it does a lot of things really well. It's not the fastest bike around, and you aren't going to see it in the peloton. But the ride is smooth and balanced. The bike is easy to toss through corners. It feels solid without being heavy. I could definitely see myself blowing through traffic in the drops. Make a few changes to the geometry and my pannier would be bolted to the back of this thing for my commute.

There aren't any plans to mass produce the PXP, so you won't see it parked outside the local coffee shop anytime soon. But it's an impressive ride, and the technology really does work. It's too good not to see it in a bike shop.